Schools

Send announcements to The Herndon Connection, 7913 Westpark Drive, McLean, VA 22102, e-mail to herndon@connectionnewspapers.com or fax to 703-917-0991. Deadline is two weeks before publication. Photos/artwork encouraged. For more information, call Jennifer Lesinski at 703-917-6454.

William Young, building supervisor at Herndon High School, is a recipient of the 2004 Onthank Award recipients, the highest honor Fairfax County bestows on its employees.

Young, one of two FCPS Support Employees of the Year in 2004, heads a team of custodians who have received the Custodial Staff of the Year award from Cluster I for the past three years. He has been employed by FCPS since 1989, working as a custodian, an assistant building supervisor, a custodial training assistant, and a building supervisor. He was cited for his excellent leadership and supervisory skills and his dedication to his job, working as long as it takes to ensure the building is secure and handling emergencies. YoungÕs schools have won the cleanest school of the year award seven times. He also provides support and mentoring for custodians and is a member of the Custodial Committee representing Clusters I and VIII. He serves as a liaison with the community groups that use the school for meetings and special events and lives by the motto posted on his door, ÒBegin with the end in mind.Ó

The Onthank Award recognizes outstanding accomplishments in advancing and improving public service in the Fairfax County government and Fairfax County Public Schools by an individual county employee. No more than 10 awards may be given each year.

Gary Phares, automotive instructor at the Manassas Campus of Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC), and Graham Savage of Herndon represented Virginia at the 40th annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Kansas City, Mo., June 21-25.

Savage graduated from NVCC in May with an associate degree in automotive technology. He competed in the automotive service technology category of the SkillsUSA Championships, and received a varsity-type jacket from AC Delco for winning the state championship and a certificate for competing at the national level.

The SkillsUSA Championships is the national-level competition for public high-school and post secondary college and technical students enrolled in trade, technical, and skilled service profession instructional programs including allied health occupations. The championships feature more than 4,000 competitors in 77 hands-on skill and leadership contests. Each SkillsUSA Championships contestant is a state-level gold medalist.Ê

Jessica Narod of Herndon, a senior at Langley High, will spend three weeks learning about the history, literature and culture of Russia and acquiring fundamental Russian language skills at the Governor's Russian Studies Academy, held at the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. The program is sponsored by the state Department of Education and is one of six foreign language academies being held this summer.

In addition to the academic program, students will learn traditional Russian dances, sample Russian cuisine, publish a memory book and learn the precise and delicate art of "pisanky," or egg decorating. The stay will culminate in a "Kapustnik," or variety show, in which students will have an opportunity to exhibit their talents.

The following local students at Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg were named to the collegeÕs DeanÕs List for the spring semester of the 2003-04 academic year.

Bonny Chang of Oak Hill and Daniel Park of Herndon, wboth students at Westfield High School, are among 93 students attending Virginia Tech's Governor's School for Agriculture this summer.

Established at Virginia Tech in 2001 as a one-month residential program for gifted students from across the state, the school will take place July 4-31. While in attendance, students will receive instruction from the university's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Natural Resources, College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, and the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine.

Andrea McLendon of Herndon, a senior majoring in management in the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech, has received the Pete Ellison Memorial Scholarship. The award goes to a member of Alpha Kappa Psi, the business fraternity. McLendon was chosen by an awards committee and received $1,100.

Pamplin College of Business offers undergraduate and graduate programs in accounting and information systems, business information technology, economics, finance, hospitality and tourism management, management, and marketing.

Herndon High School's class of 1999 will hold its five-year reunion Aug. 7 at Champps in Reston, from 7-10 p.m. The cost is $15 and includes an appetizer buffet and two drink tickets. Cash only will be accepted at the door. Please RSVP to Herndon1999@hotmail.com as soon as possible. Champps is located at 11694 Plaza America Drive.